Steven PrusakowskiSomehowRhys Darby makes it look easy – he always does. Since his first major role as Murray Hewitt on the HBO cult hitFlight of the ConChords, actor Rhys Darby has connected with the audience with ease. His impeccable comic timing, arsenal of facial expressions, and everyman demeanor combined with his irrestisbale New Zealand accent have made him a standout in just about every project.
Currently, Darby is starring in the popular pirate comedyOur Flag Means Death on Max as “The Gentleman Pirate” Stede Bonnett. The character is based on an aristocrat who abandoned his family, wealth and status to pursue life on the high seas as a pirate. While doing so he goes on many great adventures, the most unexpected his romance with fierce pirate, Blackbeard played byTaika Waititi.
There’s much more to Stede beyond what we see on the surface.
Darby sat down with me for an episode ofTV Topics, a fascinating conversation that revealed how seriously he takes his characters and what he puts into each one to bring them to life in such hopeful and relatable ways. While it appears effortless there’s great care put into each performance, especially his work onOur Flag Means Death.
When asked if playing Stede Bonnet is the most challenging role of his career Darby quickly confirmed it is. “Yeah, definitely. Absolutely!” said Darby. “There’s so much more depth in this guy And it’s been a real privilege to play because he’s complex.” He continued, “The comedy I can easily do. But it’s the deep-seated emotion and the conflict that’s in his head the whole time that I really enjoy tackling with.”
“You’ve got to dig deeper and find out why people make decisions they make. And I think that’s the wonderfulness of this character and the fact that I’ve been able to do it,” said Darby. If you go on any social media platform and search ‘Stede Bonnet’ you will quickly find that the appreciation for the character and Darby’s dedicated work is shared by a legion of passionate fans.
Thankfully, the actor found the magic television of early on. Darby’s desire to entertain set the path that led to Stede, Murray, and dozens of other lovable characters. Who ever said TV was bad for you?
“Watching television as a kid and watching these comedies and seeing obviously how much joy it brings the audience, but also how much fun it would be to be acting and bringing that joy and having fun in these great stories and playing these fun characters,” the actor recalled. “I’ve always been into play acting and as a kid mucking around, writing my own one-man plays, doing things in front of my mum and my nana and then doing stand-up.” The life long focus on observation may part explain his ability transform into relatable in just about any situation.
During our conversation we of course discussed Ed and Stede’s relationship, both in serious and fun ways. Darby dissected what allowed the two to find each other, all originating with Stede’s willingness to do the unthinkable, abandon his family. “He could afford to take that risk and then to live out his dream of which he was completely out of his depth trying to handle,” said Darby.
“That journey and then finding love that he would never set out to find. And it was not just love, it was a notoriously evil pirate that he managed to find the breach through that surface and find that he wasn’t really that,” Darby continued. “It’s just the complexities get added upon each other. And so to play a role that was in some ways, even though I might make it look easy, it’s quite difficult really.
While Stede and Ed appear to be in a good place at the end of season two, Darby pondered if it would be smooth sailing ahead for the couple. “The hardest phase of any relationship is once you do decide to spend the rest of your life together is that moment. How will we then carry on and will we actually enjoy each other a year down the track? Or is the honeymoon period over? So I think if it did end where it has ended at season two, we sort of left with that nice moment – they deserve this bliss.”
Even if the two can keep the relationship afloat there may be some rough waters ahead, explained Darby. “In the back of their heads, I’m thinking, ‘Guys, you’re both pirates. You’re both famous now. You’re going to get your asses kicked any minute. The British haven’t given up trying to hang everyone that’s a pirate.’ So there’s that.”
Listed to my complete 45-minute TV Topics conversation with Rhys where we discuss moreOur Flag Means Death including what character he would like to have visit the series on a crossover episode, what TV show Ed and Stede would watch together, and how more childhood creativity prepared him for his merman scenes; something he calls, “a magical experience.” He was incredibly thoughtful with his answers, providing fascinating into his characters, his craft, his history and himself.
Our Flag Means Death fans be sure to also check out my conversations with showrunner/creatorDavid Jenkins, The Pirate Queen herself,Ruibo Qian, andCon O’Neill (coming soon.) Subscribe toTV Topics for more conversations with your favorite stars of film and television likeChristina Ricci,Rose Byrne,Paddy Considine,Peyton List… all great conversations.
The fans and cast alike want to see what happens to Ed, Stede, and the crew of The Revenge. Help make it happen by watching seasons one and two ofOur Flag Means Death streaming exclusively on Max.
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Find all episodes of TV Topics in the Awards Radararchive. The podcast is also available on all major podcast providers. If you do not see it, let us know.
great episode, thank you!
Wow, great interview! And yes, as far as Rhys’ fans finding this: the RenewAsACrew account on tumblr found and posted this episode as soon as you posted. I call it DarbyDar! The Rhys fandom hive mind is always buzzing.
Rhys is truly a treasure! Thank you very much for this conversation! Definitely got some insights into Flag, Stede Bonnet, and Murray Hewitt I’d never heard before. Thanks again!
Thanks for the Our Flag Means Death content! Looking forward to the Con O’Neill interview, and of course season 3 news.
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